The Quest for the Sacred Scroll
by Nomannic
Summary: When it comes to the attention of Konoha that Iwagakure plans to take over all of the shinobi villages using the summoning of a man-eating demon the size of a mountain, can she save them in time, or will it be too late? KakashixOC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** The Centipede is actually from Japanese mythology.

**The Quest for the Sacred Scroll  
>Chapter One<strong>

"What are our numbers?" A soft voice asked. Reiko pretended not to listen in on the discussion as she filed the paperwork. Her boss, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, didn't happen to know that while his walls were thick, the door was thin enough to allow sound to trickle through.

"50 genin, 33 chunin, 12 jounin, and 5 ANBU. The hospitals are understaffed, but some of the civillians can be prepped with basic training to make up for it."

"And soldiers?"

"Around 5,000. But another 10,000 should be ready in 6 months."

"You can't do it any sooner than that?"

"It doesn't matter. They won't even know we're coming until their village is burning to the ground," a third voice said sadistically. Reiko recognized the voice as General Yamasaki, a ruthless, ambitious leader. She paused in her filing, intrigued now. It was normal to go over the stats of the millitary, for practical reasons such as the villages defense, but... this sounded like more than that. This sounded like they were preparing for war.

But against who?

And why in the world would they be preparing for war? Iwagakure had no enemies – no one could breach the villages defenses. And the Land of Earth was peaceful, engaged in a treaty with fuedal lords from all the other lands. So who in the world would they be launching an attack on, and _why_?

Reiko continued with the paperwork, straining her hearing so that she could listen in on the rest of the meeting.

"And with the Centipede Scroll, the rest of the villages will be ours as well." Reiko barely resisted letting a gasp of surprise slip through her lips.

All of the villages? They were going to try and take over all of the villages? Was that even possible?

And then her mind slipped back to what they said before. "_The Centipede_"... She had learned about it as a child, from her teacher Itsuka Sato. The Centipede was a monster that had been the size of a mountain, that consumed human flesh for sustenance, and had nearly wiped out all of the Land of Earth until the first Tsuchikage had sealed it away in a Sacred Scroll.

_Oh my God_, Reiko thought, fear radiating through her entire being. _They're going to kill everyone._

"But we'll start with Konoha."

Her heart dropped to her feet, feeling the urge to get up and run straight to the village, to warn them. She had been a spy in Iwagakure for Konoha for years now, but this was the first time she had _ever_ heard anything like this before.

But she couldn't leave right away. And she had six months before they would be ready for an attack. She swallowed hard, going back to her paperwork, and did her best to seem inconcspicuous.

X.x.X.x.X


	2. Chapter 2

**The Quest for the Sacred Scroll  
><strong>**Chapter Two**

When she left work, instead of going to her teachers home where she lived with him and several of his other students, she went straight to the front gates, explaining to the guards she was just going on a hike for some strength-training. They waved her farewell, and as soon as she was deep enough in a cave in one of the mountains, where she was sure she wouldn't be spotted, she summoned a ninken mountain lion, breathing heavily from the amount of chakra it required. After all, she was only a chunin.

She told the cat to report to Konoha, straight to the Hokage, and to request an ANBU meet her here immediately, because she had information that the survival of the village depended on.

And then she sent the mountain lion on its way, and returned to her village, terrified, and unsure what to do, or feel. How could her village do this? The Tsuchikage was a peaceful man, and while her allegances lay with Konoha... this was still her home.

What could they possible want so badly that they would risk so many lives? She swallowed hard, closing her eyes in pain. She knew the answer to that. _Power_.

Sighing, she began her walk to her home, where she would make dinner for the other students and for Itsuka-Sensei. It seemed so strange, going back to her "normal life" after learning something like that. She needed to speak to Itsuka about this, because one thing's for sure – she needed to get her hands on that scroll.

But Itsuka wasn't home – he was away on a mission. And she knew she couldn't do this without him. She needed his help. She just wasn't a good enough shinobi.

X.x.X.x.X

Itsuka didn't come home for four days, and the ANBU from Konoha Reiko was supposed to meet would be here tonight at midnight, at the cave from where she had summoned the mountain lion. And when Itsuka-sensei finally made it back, Reiko was practically vibrating with anxiety. As soon as he was through the door, she dragged him into the cellar where the youngest children slept, shut and locked the door, and sat him down.

"We have an emergency."

"What? Reiko-chan, what are you _doing_?" Itsuka exclaimed, confused and shocked at her behavior. Reiko was normally a shy, calm girl. She didn't act up like this unless something was incredibly, incredibly wrong.

"I overheard General Yamasaki, the Tsuchikage, and a few others talking the night you left for your mision."

"Reiko!" He cried out, surprised that she would do something like that. "You should know better."

"Wait a minute, and listen to me," she hissed out. "They were talking about taking over _all_ of the villages."

"That's not even possible," he said softly, shocked at her accusation.

"It is if you summon the Centipede." Itsuka looked up at her, realizing she was serious.

"Oh my god." He said, voice shocky and pained. The Centipede was like the boogey-man, a monster that haunted young childrens dreams and lived in the depths of the worst horror stories.

"We need to get that scroll, Itsuka-sensei."

"Reiko, we couldn't possibly -"

"We don't have another choice."

Itsuka fell into silence, thinking. Then he sighed, nodding in the dim light of the cellar. "Very well. We'll move tomorrow."

"No, tonight."

"Why?" Itsuka wondered, looking up at her.

Reiko took a second, thinking. She shouldn't reveal her identity as a spy, ever, but... Itsuka had raised her since he was a child. She trusted him with her life. And this was too important. They needed to get that scroll tonight. "There's an ANBU from Konoha waiting to meet me."

Itsuka's eyes widened in surprise, and then realization. "You're a _spy_?" He asked incrediously.

"Keep it down, you twat," she warned, narrowing her eyes at him, peering nervously at the door. You never knew when one of the younger kids would be listening in at the door.

"But how could you do that? How could you do that to Iwagakure? _This is your home!_" He whispered harshly.

"And clearly, they don't deserve my allegiance," she said just as harshly, referring to the current centipede.

Itsuka lapsed into silence, looking hurt and confused. "Fine. We move tonight."

X.x.X.x.X

After several hours of planning, and Itsuka leaving the home to go gather supplies for another hour, they were ready. Reiko put back on her chunin vest, knotted the hitai-ate on her forehead, and strapped her kunai-pouch to her left thigh. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at Itsuka, who just finished strapping on his jounin vest. He gave her a brisk nod, and they silently slipped out one of the back windows, so the children wouldn't know they were gone.

They moved along the shadows, careful not to get noticed, until they reached the tower where the Tsuchikage's offices were, and the archives. The Sacred Scroll would be kept in the Forbidden section in the archives.

Reiko walked in, nodding to the guards. "I forgot my wallet," she said as explanation, looking sheepish. One of them laughed at her, shaking his head.

"Dork," he teased.

They didn't question Itsuka's presence. It wasn't safe for a girl, even a chunin, to be out on the streets at night. Konoha was the ideal village in all the lands. Iwagakure was dirty, its living conditions poor even for their prized shinobi, and it was dangerous, the crime rate exponentially high.

She walked in without any other confrontations. The offices were empty by this time of night. They made it into the archives without a hitch – it helped that she worked here on a regular basis, with unlimmitted acces.

To everywhere except the Forbidden section in the archives, of course.

Itsuka stood guard at the door to the archives while she broke into the room, breaking the seals and avoiding the traps that protected the most sacred of all information in Iwagakure.

She slipped in, and found the scroll easilly, tieing it too her back where it couldn't be easily removed, she made her way out of the room, to where Itsuka was supposed to be.

But he wasn't there. "Itsuka-sensei!" She whispered, looking around for him. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, lighting up the room, elongating the shadows.

Reiko barely dodged the blade in time, feeling it clip the end of her ponytail as she ducked down to the ground. When she got back into a defensive stance, facing her attacker, she realized it was Itsuka. "What?" She asked, voice breaking in confusion.

"You didn't really think I'd just let you betray our village, would you, Reiko-chan?" He asked, voice cruel and thick with disgust. "Your little ANBU friend has probably already been taken care of now. He'll be detained and interrogated. I, on the other hand, have express orders to kill you."

He sneered at her, and then rushed in to attack.

"Stop this, Itsuka-sensei!" Reiko cried out, blocking the long-sword with one of her forearm guards. The metal hit the plate hard, pushing her back a few inches and it grated, as he applied more pressure, the metal shrieking as it ground agaisnt the metal guard plates.

"Filth," he growled out, his only response. "A traitor deserves no mercy."

And then he was on her, slashing down ruthlessly, over and over, a barrage of swipes and close-calls. Reiko barely made it out of the window alive, and onto the balcony, where she transported herself to the cave. The ANBU was there, already locked in close combat with a team of Iwagakure's black ops. But Konoha had sent an entire team of ANBU, and they made quick work of their attackers.

Reiko collapsed to her knees, gasping. That transport had used too much chakra. "My... covers... blown...!" she gasped, breathing too hard to fit more than one word in at a time. The ANBU took note of the situation immediately, and one helped her to her feet, silver hair spiking from behind the mask.

"Let's go," he said, voice a deep, husky timbre. And with that, he was leading her along, the ANBU running at top speed, dragging her behind them through the mountains. But it didn't take long for a team of Iwagakure's own ANBU to meet them and cut off their escape. The silver-haired ANBU who had hold of Reiko's wrist let go of her, moving into a defensive stance in front of her. She didn't have the energy too fight. She barely had energy to stand after a run like that, and all her chakra had been used up.

The fight was hard to watch, the ANBU who was protecting her repeatedly putting himself in between her and the enemy shinobi, taking several near-fatal blows to the chest and abdomen. But it was over too quick, when someone swooped in behind her, taking her up in their arms and teleporting away.

Reiko didn't struggle at first, thinking it was Konoha nin, until she found herself in the Torture and Interrogation headquarters of Iwagakure. Then she started struggling, fighting to break free from her kidnapper. But he pinned her down easily, taking the scroll off her back, a smile glinting behind his mask.

"I'll be needing this," he said, voice creamy with sadistic pleasure. And then he kicked her too the floor, hard. Hard enough to make her cry out, and crack two ribs. He put his hands together, and dissapeared in a poof of dust.

Two jounin with black masks over their faces moved in, pinning her down while another slipped a blindfold over her eyes. Something sharp went into her forearm, and a hot liquid spread through her body, numbing everything in its past. She screamed, high and anguished. And then her eyes behind the blindfold drooped closed, and her struggling eased to a stop.

X.x.X.x.X


	3. Chapter 3

**The Quest for the Sacred Scroll**

**Chapter Three**

When Reiko awoke, she had a piercing headache, she could feel chains chaffing against her wrist, and she was blindfolded. She was hung upright, her shoulders pulled at an unnatural angle. Her shoulders ached, telling her that she had been hanging here unconcious for quite a while. Careful to appear still-unconcious, keeping her breathing shallow and steady, she listened in to her surroundings.

A slight breeze brushing against stone, combined with the cold, smooth surface pressing against her arms told her she was in one of the interrogation chambers with a barred window. She resisted the urge to smile to herself – escape was suddenly made that much easier.

She could hear soft talking, muffled by wood. There were guards outside the room.

She listened harder, seeing if there was anyone in the room with her. After a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like luck was on her side today.

Carefully, she rubbed the side of her head against one of her arms, slowly peeling off the blindfold. The movement intensified the pain in her shoulders, and she bit back a whimper. She took a deep, quiet breath. _Just a little more pain, and you'll be free_, She told herself. _We don't have time to be a sniveling genin today. Suck it up. This is too important_. Returning her focus to the situation at hand, she took in her surroundings.

It was early morning, the window to the West showing a sun just peaking over the horizon, dying the dark blue sky with stripes of pink and purple. The room she was in was fairly large, with a sturdy wooden table in the center, and various torturing implements hung across the opposite wall. She smirked to herself. Oh yes, luck was on her side. Her capturers were just as arrogant as they were when they were her employers. Apparently, the head of T&I was confident she wouldn't be able to escape.

Grinning to herself at her luck, she turned her attention to her cuffs. There was one around each ankle and one around each wrist. She shook one of her ankles, only to receive a sharp, biting pain streak across her leg. She winced, frowning. The shackles were chakra-infused.

"Oh, fuck," she whispered, watching her luck go out the window along with her chances of escape. She could break free of the shackles with a burst of her own chakra, probably, but that would alert her guards and exhaust her to the point of passing out. And chewing her own limbs off would get her free of the cuffs, but would take too much time, hurt like a bitch, and destroy her ability to crawl out the window.

Relaxing back against the wall, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulders, she set to thinking. What had she learned in training? What had she been taught to do in a situation like this? But the headache still roaring through her mind stopped her from thinking that far. Groaning to herself, she closed her eyes. _I have to warn Konoha. But how?_

Suddenly, the hinges on the wooden door across from her screeched, and the head of T&I himself walked in. "Well, well, well. How nice to see you again, Reiko-chan," he said, voice thick with disgust. "How are you today?" He asked mildly, pulling on a pair of plastic surgery gloves. She tried to hide her fear. During her brief bit of training here, she had learned quickly what those gloves meant. _Torture_. And since she had grown up here, her torturer knew exactly how effective that would be.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why do I have to be so weak_? She bit back those thoughts, and gave Natsumo, the head of T&I a cheerful smile. At the very least, she could try and keep him busy until Konoha came to rescue here. Because without a doubt, they would. Unless, of course, they thought that ambush when they had come to meet her was a trap. And then in that case, she was dead meat. "Well, apart from an absolutely horrid headache, just peachy, thanks. How about yourself?" She said, still smiling sickeningly sweetly.

Natsumo shrugged, his smile widening. "Excited, actually. I've been wanting to cut you up for a long time, sweetheart."

_Oh, double fuck_. "That's nice. I'm glad you're happy. So, what brings you here today?" She fell back on her training as a spy – collect as much information as possible, giving out none.

"Well, you see, we seem to have sprung a leak. So they sent me in to do see how bad the damage is." AKA, 'how much do you know, and how much does Konoha know?'

"Ah, that doesn't sound very good."

"Not for you it isn't. So, Reiko-chan, let's cut the formalities shall we and get straight to business." He said, running his fingers along the many clamps, saws and other sharp, painful-looking objects hung on the wall. He selected a simple blade to start with. "How much does Konoha know?"

Reiko shrugged, looking away. Her headache was fading, but she had a feeling it would come back with the bloodloss that was soon to come. Then, she remembered some of her torture-resistance training. Training she had received from this very man. Talk, talk constantly, but not about anything they want to know. "Well, I'm pretty sure most of their jounin have mastered basic taijutsu. I know that one Hokage lady is _really_ good at summoning slugs, and terribly accomplished in medical ninjutsu. And then they have that copy-cat nin who's positively _famous_ for that simple little fact that he knows over a thousand ways to kill you dead real good, but about the rest I'm not really sure." Reiko silently thanked the heavens for her ability to talk. She was famous for being able to ramble on and on about absolutely anything.

Natsumo seemed nothing short of patient though, as if waiting for her to finish. After about ten minutes, she stopped talking, running out of breath, feeling tired, and unable to think of another possible way to continue on her mindles monologue.

"Clever, Reiko-chan. But I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way then." Reiko swallowed hard, quickly coming up with another plan. _I guess that didn't work. I'll just have to do something that will scare him. If they attack Konoha now, or get frightened out of the attack, Konoha can probably take them. _Confident in her knew plan, she continued with pretending to be frightened, which she actually was. You see, Reiko had a medical condition, which was the reason she'd never really advanced past Chunin, that intensified physical pain for her by about three times the normal persons. So whatever he was about to do, was going to fucking hurt.

She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, knowing she'd have to put up with a little bit before she gave in, or he would be able to see through it. After all, he was the best in interrogation in all of Iwagakure.

She felt the knife bite into the tender skin of her navel, and slowly drag down to her pelvis. The knife was jagged, ripping through the skin instead of just cutting through it. He must have lifted up her shirt to do that. After about five seconds of it, Reiko broke, letting out a cry of pain, a tear leaking down the side of her face. Oh, this was going to be a long night. "Change your mind yet?" Natsumo mused, still cutting through her. She drew in a shaky gasp, shaking her head defiantly, before he twisted the blade, pulling out a high, pain-filled scream from her.

"Ah, ah... Oh, that _hurt_," she muttered, opening her eyes. Her vision was blurry with tears, and she blinked it away. He had stopped for a second, and when she could focus past the throbbing in her abdomen, she realized he was looking over her body, trying to figure out where the next best spot to inflict maximum pain would be.

"Yes, well, I picked a partially dull-blade just for you. I know how much you like your pain," he whispered, voice heavy with innuendo. Reiko scrunched up her nose, and then decided it was prudent to spit on his face.

Of course, she regretted that action as soon as she realized how badly that had pissed him off, because next thing she knew, he was hitting her. Over and over and over, the face, the chest, the stomach.

She wasn't sure how long it went on, only vaguely aware of the intense, excruciating pain, her own screaming, and the ragged breahting and shouted threats from her torturer.

And then, he stopped. Suddenly. And the absence of him hitting her made her adreniline go away, and the pain increased ten fold. She gasped, unable to get a proper breath. He must have broke some ribs, because her chest felt like it had collapsed in on itself.

And then without a word, Natsumo fixed her blindfold, tying it painfulling tight, stuck plugs in her ears, and in her nose, depriving her of her senses. She wasn't sure if he left or not, but after several minutes went by, she was pretty sure he had.

Reiko gave out a relieved sigh, relaxing as best she could against the wall, and promptly passed out from the pain.

X.x.X.x.X


	4. Chapter 4

**The Quest for the Sacred Scroll**

**Chapter Four**

Reiko woke to a headache, yet again, and the sensation of a body pressed up against hers. _Oh, God, no._ She thought, hoping against all things Natsumo wasn't doing what she thought he was. But when she felt the shackles on her wrists give way, she realized that the blindfold was gone, and so were the ear and nose plugs. Blinking open her eyes to bright sunlight, it took her a second to realize she was being hoisted silently over someones shoulder.

Reiko gave a sharp gasp of pain at the movement, muffling it against her saviors shoulder, and then she was being pushed through the window, the bars on it gone. She fell unconcious again, the world dissapearing into darkness.

X.x.X.x.X

When Reiko next awoke, the headache was gone, and she felt muddled and slow. It took her a second to realize it was painkillers. Blinking her eyes open, slowly, she found herself in a white hospital room. She breathed a sigh of relief, a smile gracing her features.

_I'm in Konoha. There's still a chance_, she thought happily.

"Good morning," someone said from beside her. She recognized it as the voice of the Konoha ANBU who had met her in the cave before. She smiled, feeling slightly high. _What in the world do they have me on_?

"Morning, sunshine," she mused, giggling slightly. The giggle stopped abruptly, when it hurt slightly, her chest twinging in pain.

"I wouldn't suggest laughing," he said. "You took quite a beating." She turned to look over at him, and was surprised to find not an ANBU, but a jounin with a mask over half his face, his hitai-ate covering his left eye, and his visible eye crinkled in a bemused smile. His hair was a bright, spiky silver. _So this is who rescued me._

"I'll take that into consideration," she grumbled, voice breaking slightly from disuse. "How long have I been out?"

"Just two days."

"Fuck," she said, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. They didn't have that kind of time! But when she moved to stand up, she found the room swirling around her, and she collapsed. A firm, warm pair of arms caught her just before she hit the ground, and laid her back in the bed.

"Relax, you're not ready to move yet. You almost died."

"And a whole lot more people are going to die if I don't see the Hokage, right now!" she snapped, pushing herself to a sitting position. The bemused expression on the jounin fell, and he nodded, picking her up again. She suddenly found herself in a large office, the Hokage sitting at a desk across from her. She felt naseous, and since she was no longer on an IV, she knew the pain would be coming back soon, but she pushed those feelings away. This was more important.

The Hokage, who had been in a meeting with what appeared to be a team of genin, looked up at them surprised. "Kakashi-sensei!" The genin cried out in excitement.

"Kakashi!" The Hokage snapped, sounding pissed off. "What are you doing?"

"She said it couldn't wait," he said, matter of factly, before carefully setting me down in a chair. The genin team looked between us both, confused.

"Who is that?" A pink-haired girl asked, looking to Kakashi for an explanation.

"No one," the Hokage said calmly. "I'll continue your mission briefing tomorrow morning. You're dismissed." With a few dissapointed grumbles, the genin team left the office, shutting the door behind them. "Now," Tsunade said, turning to face me. "What's going on?"

Reiko opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. Crap. Where to start? She was still partially in shock that she had actually managed to get to Konoha. Then it dawned on her. The scroll! They needed to get the scroll! "You need to send an ANBU team back to Iwa immediately." Reiko said, figuring that was the best course of action. "I'll go with them, show them -"

"And why should we trust you?" Tsunade said, cutting me off sharply. Her expression was cool, collected, and analytical. Reiko shut her mouth dumbly, taken aback by the statement. "After all, your request to meet us was anything but cryptic, and when my shinob arrived there, they were ambushed almost immediately. So before I send them back into another trap, please, tell me what's so important to put their lives at risk again."

Reiko nodded. "Well, when in Iwa I work as the Tsuchikage's assistance, and his office door isn't exactly sound proof. He was having a meeting with the Land of Earth's General, and a few others who I didn't recognize. They were discussing plans for taking over Konoha, and then the all the other shinobi villages."

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious?" Then her expression fell back to distrust. "That's not possible. The Land of Earth has the smallest standing army of all the Lands."

Reiko gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, I know you don't believe me, and you don't have any reason to trust me, but they've already trained and prepared 5,000 soldiers, and are expecting _another_ 10,000 in the next six months. And that's not even the worst of it. _Please_, believe me. They're planning to use the Sacred Summoning Scroll for the Centipede." Reiko said, voice desperate and breathy. She winced, her chest already beginning to ache.

Tsunade sighed, rubbing the crease between her eyebrows. "If what you're saying is true, than we need to get that scroll." Reiko nodded. "But how do I know you're telling the truth?" Tsunade continued, looking sharply up at Reiko.

"I'll tell you everything I know about Iwa, all of its weaknesses, all of its strengths, its numbers, anything. Please, you have to believe me. We don't have much time."

Tsunade regarded me in silence for a short time, then turned her attention to Kakashi. "Well, Hatake, what do you think?"

I could practically feel a glare burn a hole in my back, and knew whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be pleasant. "Frankly, Hokage-samma, I think we can't trust her. I think she should explain to us exactly how Iwa Black Ops shinobi knew we were going to meet her." His voice was harsh, accusing. Oh, yeah, he was definitely not going to forgive me about that anytime soon.

I winced, knowing that my explanation of the situation may or may not improve their trust in me. "When I found out that they were going to use the scroll, I knew I needed to take it away. But I'm only a chunin – I knew I wouldn't be able to get it by myself. So I requested the help from my teacher, the man who raised me since I was a child. It required telling him that I was a spy, for Konoha. I trusted him. But when we were stealing the scroll, he betrayed me. He told the Tsuchikage my plan, and ambushed you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told him anything, but... I needed help. And I knew it couldn't wait."

When I finished, Tsunade remained quiet, never taking her eyes from me as she slowly absorbed what I had told her, and then sighed. "Very well. It seems I don't have a choice, but to believe you. Even if there's a chance it's false," she said, turning a sharp, accusing gaze to me, "I will not risk this village."

"With respect, Tsunade-" Kakashi started, dissaproval evident in his tone. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him, figuring that would be childish.

"Enough, Kakashi!" Tsunade snapped, cutting him off. "I am the Hokage, and my decision is final. Your doubts will be taken under consideration, and that is all. Am I understood, Hatake?" Kakashi nodded. Tsunade turned her attention back to me. "We'll continue this breifing after you've had some rest. Kakashi, take her back to the hospital. I'll up her guard."

Kakashi grumbled something under his breath, roughly picking me up in his arms. I gave a surprised cry of pain, face screwing shut. "Watch it, asshole!" I snapped, feeling my stomach flip at the sensation. My entire body was suddenly throbbing. Kakashi snorted, transporting me back to the hospital. He dropped me into the bed, before slumping down into his own chair, taking out a little green book.

I glared daggers at him, breathing through my teeth to try and muffle the pain. A nurse came in soon, reattaching my IV without so much as glancing at me, and taking note of my vitals. I sighed in relief as the pain killer began to work.

Just as I fell back asleep, a team of ANBU poofed into my room, and I smiled. _Maybe this might work out. Maybe Konoha will be safe afterall. If we can just... just get... that... scroll..._

X.x.X.x.X

**A/N: **So, apparently all I need to write is a sugar rush, some antidepressants, and sleep-deprivation. Whoot! Ain't life a blast?

Read and review, darlings!


	5. Chapter 5

**The Quest for the Sacred Scroll**

**Chapter Five**

After another two days of fitful, impatient rest, the doctors finally okayed Reiko for release. Obviously, while she couldn't actually see them (with the exception of Kakashi, who walked a few paces behind her), she had a full-fledged ANBU escort her as she walked to the Hokage's offices. When she got there, she was greeted with a grim nod, and what looked like all of Konoha's ANBU in the room.

Kakashi shut the door behind her, and she gave a respectful bow to Tsunade. "Thank you for meeting me again, Tsunade-samma," Reiko said politely, straightening up.

"Well, it's not like I could refuse you, could I?" Tsunade said ruefully. "Now, down to business. Don't worry, I've had this room soundproofed," she added, grinning at the irony of that statement. "You know Iwagakure better than any of us. And we need a battle plan before I send my ANBU to retrieve that scroll."

Reiko nodded. "I understand. How can I help?"

"First, the cities normal defenses. Fill us in." The Hokage pointed to a large, fairly detailed map on the Hokage's desk. The map was of Iwagakure, and the surrounding mile of mountains. Reiko stepped up, the ANBU clearing a way for her. All of them watched her carefully, their bodies tense, ready for action. She could practically taste the distrust in the air. Biting back a sigh, she pointed to the front gates. "Normally, there's two chunin and a jounin stationed there at all times. They switch shifts every eight hours, and there's no gaps between the shifts. The first shift starts at six am. But since recent events, the Tsuchikage's probably heightened up the cities defense. There will probably be an extra jounin stationed there, possibly ANBU-level. The walls surrounding the city are about five stories high, smooth along the outside to prevent scaling, and guards regularly walk along the top, with about five minutes making a full circulation of each guards assigned section. Each of the wall guards carries a horn, to alert the city in case of an intrusion." As she talked, Reiko could feel the tension ease throughout the room, as the ANBU and the Hokage quietly listened, their attention sharp, absorbing everything she said. Slowly, Reiko could feel them begin to trust her.

"There are aproximately 20 to 30 academy students throughout the seasons, about ten in the graduating class this year. There are 50 genin of varrying levels, 33 chunin, 12 jounin, and only 5 ANBU-level in the entirety of the villages shinobi. But the cities biggest weakness is the escape tunnels."

"Escape tunnels?" Kakashi muttered. "Aren't those just a rumor?" He asked, a little louder.

Reiko shook her head. "No. The previous Tsuchikage, during the last Great War had them dug in the event that the cities wall failed, so that the civillians could be evacuated to various caverns throughout the mountains. That's how you'll be able to get into the city without being noticed. There's rarely ever guards on the caverns, since very few people actually know about them. From what I understand, only the current Tsuchikage and a select few are still aware of their existence within Iwa itself. And since they don't know I know of them, they'll most likely still be unguarded."

Kakashi snorted in disbelief, and Reiko shot him a piercing glare before continuing. "The entrances to the caverns from the outside are here, here, and here," Reiko continued. "When I overheard their existence during one of the Tsuchikage's meetings, I scouted them out. You'll need my help to navigate. All of the tunnels lead to here, entering into the bottom story of the Tsuchikage's main offices, 5 stories beneath ground. The door there is heavily locked, but usually not guarded. The entrance to the tunnels are covered by large boulders, but are not to hard to move. It'll get harder from there, because the only way to move about this tower is a single stairwell, which even at night is used often."

Another ANBU, one that sounded older, his voice gruffer spoke up, pointing to the gates. "Perhaps a distraction, here, then?"

Reiko blinked at him in surprise, then nodded. "Yes, that would be perfect. The tower would practically clear out." And then she moved on. "The scroll will most likely be kept in the tower still, since it's the most heavily guarded. It will either be back in the archives, with a heavier guard, or in the safe in the Tsuchikage's office. The archives are on the tenth level from the ground, and the Tsuchikage's office takes up the entire fifth level from ground. The Tsuchikage is almost always in his office, but if the city is under attack... he may leave. I don't know. The safe is kept in the side of his desk. If you pry off the back panel, and can either cut through the metal, or get it open, the scroll might be in there. If it's in the archives, they'll keep it in the forbidden section at the very back of the room, opposite the stairwell."

Tsunade nodded. "Very well. Team Hawk, you'll prepare a distraction at the gates. Make it severe enough that it will attract the Tsuchikage away from his offices, and signal Team Wolf. Team Wolf, once you've been signaled, you'll move in to the Tsuchikage's office. If the scroll isn't in the safe, proceed to the archives. Once you've secured possession of the scroll, move out, and signal Team Hawk once you're a safe distance away. Then return to Konoha. Understood?"

They nodded their confirmation. "Very well," Tsunade continued. "We'll move out in two weeks, wait for the Tsuchikage to perhaps relax his guard. He's an overconfident fellow. Until then, how familiar are you with the techniques of Iwa's ANBU and jounin?" Tsunade asked, turning her focus back to Reiko.

Reiko smiled sheepishly. "I know the fundamental weaknesses in each ANBU, but not how to identify them. Iwa's ANBU where identical masks, and have similar body shapes. However, I know the jounin quite well," she continued, her confidence rising slightly. "And I know their jutsus."

"Then you'll be briefing the ANBU on possible exploits, and all genin and higher level shinobi on other weaknesses in Iwa jutsu and training. If this comes to war, we _will_ be prepared." Tsunade finished, voice determined and pissed as hell. Reiko nodded her understanding. "For now, you will be staying with Kakashi."

Tsunade turned to the ANBU. "You are all dismissed. Rest up, your training begins tomorrow."

And in a poof of smoke, they dissapeared. Reiko coughed, waving some away. The coughing made her chest twinge, and she winced.

"How are your wounds?" Tsunade asked, noticing the wince. "I thought the doctors said you were fine."

Reiko blushed bright red in embaressment. "Well, they're mostly healed. They just hurt still. I'll be fine," she assured the Hokage sheepishly. "Thank you for letting me stay with you," she then said, turning a fake smile to Kakashi. _Why in the world did I get stuck with _him_ of all people_? She grumbled to herself.

Kakashi returned the fake smile with a fake one of his own. "My pleasure," he said, voice dripping with malice.

Tsunade watched the exchange in surprise, curiousity making her eyebrow arch delicately. But she didn't say anything about it, figuring it best to leave it be. "If you need anything, speak to Kakashi about it. On your way out, speak to Shizune. She'll give you a pass for food, clothing, and shinobi supplies at the local stores. Dismissed," she said, smiling as she watched them leave.

Once out of the building, Reiko now walking beside Kakashi in stiff silence, Kakashi turned to her, smiling cheerfully. "If you so much as touch anything in my apartment, I will cut your fingers off," he said, voice bright and giddy. Reiko arched an eyebrow up at him, snorted, and looked away.

_Bastard_, she thought to herself. _What a way to treat your guest._ Reiko continued to walk just behind him, deciding walking beside him was simply demeaning and uncomfortable. Of course, this way she could also glare daggers at his back.

When they reached his apartment, Kakashi unlocked the door without glancing at her, entered, and just as she was about to walk in, let the door swing shut in her face. Twitching in surprise, her face turned cherry red with rage. She took a deep breath, calming herself down, and walked into the apartment, silently fuming. _What a CHILD!_ She thought, as she slammed the door shut behind her.

"We'll go get you clothes tomorrow morning," Kakashi said as she walked in. "You can sleep on the floor," he continued, pointing to a spot right in front of the couch. Reiko's eyebrow twitched, wondering why she couldn't sleep on the couch. "I'm going to bed. I'm supposed to watch you, so I'd appriciate it if you would shut up and stay put. Understood?" And without waiting for a response, he dissapeared into the bedroom.

"Well fuck you too!" She snapped after him, sitting down on the couch. The hospital had given her some sweats to wear home, but they were too large and got in the way. And they smelled bitterly of disenfectant and sweat. Grumbling to herself, she realized she smelled too.

So without bothering to talk to Kakashi about it, she decided she'd take a shower. And use as much of his hair-care products as possible in the process.

Snickering to herself, she stomped her way to the bathroom. She could be childish too, if she wanted to be.


End file.
